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Wall Of Sound is changing its name to Lead-footed!!
The opening night will still be on April 20th at The Macbeth, Hoxton (London). Also, join the new Facebook group here for news and updates.
Live Acts will include:
Sam Thomas is a London based composer and multi-instrumentalist whose music blends influences from classical music, rock, folk and no doubt many more. This extremely interesting piece, not so interestingly named Continuous Soundtrack, is a 27 minute long epic which progresses from heart-wrenching orchestral sections, to head-stomping rock riffs, to cheesy folk ballads and I could go on. It presents musical themes and shapes that perpetually evolve quite dramatically to incorporate numerous instruments and contrasting feels. I think this is as cinematic as it gets, being completely instrumental, it takes its listener on a surprising and grand journey.
The level of skill involved in conceiving a piece like this is quite unthinkable for one person, but Sam Thomas has done it, and to an excellent standard. It may not be to everybody’s liking due to its somewhat experimental nature, but for dreamers, musicians and prog (in it’s broader sense) enthusiasts it is an experience like few others.
Although Sam’s influences may be obvious at times, they are so diverse that when stuck together back-to-back like this, they make for one huge adventure that feels like experiencing all musical development from Debussy right through to today’s Mono via The Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Radiohead and Muse. I am aware of how bold this statement sounds but if you locked them all up in a studio and told them to write a 27 minute instrumental track, it wouldn’t be a million miles away from this. Every part when listened to, sounds as complex and thought-out as the next. The guitar takes off on rampant solos, the bass grooves away, the drums mix things up by changing and crossing time signatures, and the violin will make you cry.
What’s more, the production on this piece is stunning considering how many different layers there are. The distorted bass sound is fat to the point of making your face scrunch up, and the violin, once again, will make you cry. About two thirds of the way in, the track also goes into an peculiar psychedelic section with unusual percussions and bass harmonics, brilliantly panned and produced to make even the sanest person feel a bit mad. Finally, the guitar probably being the central instrument, presents various well-manipulated sounds (although one in particular is ridiculous). Overall it’s fair to say this is an opus worthy of any contemporary composer/producer/musician.
If you’re intrigued and willing to put on a pair of headphones for half an hour, you can download Continuous Soundtrack for FREE (oh yes!) at samthomasmusic.com – and needless to say, I recommend it.
For the sake of giving him a bit of press, I’m told that this piece is part of his plan to promote himself as a composer for film and TV. Basically, anyone is welcome to use it as a score, free of royalty obligation. The only condition is to credit him clearly… sounds like a bargain.
Happy listening!
WALL OF SOUND is the club night I’m organising based around the music I talk about on this blog, the opening night will be in one of London’s many music venues, and in April so plenty of time, but things are coming together nicely- got some great bands lined up and a great team helping me to make it a success. Check for details/updates and sign up to the mailing list on the WALL OF SOUND page! Hope to see as many of you there as possible!
Henry
Swallowing The Seas are a new band drifting in and out of London venues such as the Enterprise in Chalk Farm. I saw them there on Tuesday 8/12/09 and liked it so much I thought I’d write a little review of their gig.
Their music is very much as they describe it; ambient, down-tempo shoegaze. Its extremely cinematic but in a different way to other bands that I have written about so far. Their sound is very distinct, like a cross between ‘post-rock’ and shoegaze. They have the ethereality and ambience of shoegaze but with the scope and instrumentation of ‘post-rock’- a very exciting prospect indeed!
I find their music quite confusing (in a good way) because they somehow manage to convey completely different emotions at the same time. Its hard to explain, but during most of the set I was unsure whether the music was bleak and gloomy, or simply hopeful! The lead guitar parts are mostly arpeggiated chords which give the songs an air of perseverance (as opposed to depressing idleness) and Leni White, the violinist/vocalist’s angelic soprano voice gives the music its fantasy, but the nature of the chords and the arrangements come across as bleak. On top of that, the vocal harmonies between Leni and Beanie B. (lead guitar/vocals) sound really nice, but are darkly textured with reverb and delay- the lyrics also seem to go from dreary imagery to hope-filled assertions…. I haven’t been able to get over the unsettled feeling I got from the show yet, but maybe I shouldn’t..
Moving on, I thought the set progressed well, but I think a bigger range in dynamics would have helped to suck the audience in. With music like this that presents itself as a sort of ‘experience’ for the audience, its important to explore every corner of the soundscape you’re cultivating, i.e. breakdown to almost nothing, and play as aggressively as possible- where its appropriate of course.
Overall, the show was great and definitely worth seeing, and I recommend catching them live to all of you who enjoy thought-provoking music- especially the kind that seems like it would be perfectly at home in a bipolar-deaf-blind person’s head!
Catch them LIVE @ the Road Trip Bar on Tuesday 15th Dec, or @ Proud Galleries on the 16th Feb 2010!
Quick update for those interested- various bands have gigs coming up in London which should all be pretty awe inspiring. Here are the my listings-
–Shield Your Eyes @ the Old Blue Last on 25/11/09, 12/01/10, 25/03/10
–Butterfly Explosion @ ICA on 17/02/10
–Eat Lights Become Lights @ the Good Ship on 17/12/09, and @ Camden BarFly on 06/03/10
–Vessels/And So I Watch You From Afar/Oceansize @ Heaven on 03/12/09
–Swallowing The Seas @ the Enterprise on 08/12/09, @ Road Trip Bar on 15/12/09 and @ Proud Galleries on 16/02/10
–The Mars Volta @ The Forum on 14/12/09
Good watching!
Cinematic Music 